AEW's The Blade Shares Injury Update Following Back Fusion Surgery

The Butcher and the Blade have been members of the AEW roster since the company's early days, and though they've never risen to the top of the card, the duo had found a niche that saw them featured occasionally on TV. That hasn't been the case in 2024, as the Blade (real name Jesse Guilmette) has been sidelined with an injury. The wrestler took to Instagram recently to reveal that he recently underwent successful back fusion surgery.

In addition to a short video of himself walking down the hospital hallway, Guilmette posted a photo of a hospital meal, complete with various plastic containers and what looks to be extra Jell-O. The comments for the post feature several fellow AEW stars, including the long-absent Miro, wishing Guilmette well.

The last time the Butcher and the Blade performed on AEW TV was in January, teaming up with Kip Sabian on the January 5 episode of "AEW Rampage" in a losing effort against Mark Briscoe and the Hardy brothers. One week later, the Butcher and the Blade lost a match against Top Flight during a Ring of Honor taping.

According to Guilmette on Instagram several weeks ago, the problems with his back began after a nasty fall in 2020. Things got worse over time, forcing Guilmette to step away from the ring and eventually decide to have surgery. The wrestler thanked Tony Khan in his post for the level of care AEW has provided, stating that he was grateful to have been signed there deep into his career.

Meanwhile, the Butcher has stayed active on AEW programming in his partner's absence. His most recent match took place last month, when he teamed with The Outrunners to face Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and Tomohiro Ishii on "Rampage."